


The Mighty Ducks of the Stars

by wolfelements



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Memories, Pre-Slash, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-07 00:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6776842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfelements/pseuds/wolfelements
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And then, suddenly, John was pulled from the memory as another one attacked his brain.</p><p>Sequel to Love, or Something Like It</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mighty Ducks of the Stars

John leaned back against the smooth surface of the wall, staring up at the star lit sky of another galaxy. Atlantis, he decided, was pretty cool. It was also, however, somewhat overwhelming in the knowledge that he was a speck of a person, trapped in a world that he technically didn't belong in. But, that was a thought for a darker moment, when he was alone in his quarters and trying to ignore just how screwed they all were.

He sighed, rubbed his face, and turned back to one of the constellations that kind of looked like a duck. Mentally, he named this constellation the Mighty Ducks, ignoring the fact that there was only one duck in the star formation. John had long ago, in the depths of his childhood, decided that astronomy was not his forte and a life of an astronaut wasn't something he wanted. As a result, he didn't really care about the specifics of his constellation naming. That was a detail Rodney would worry about.

Rodney. John smiled slightly to himself as he thought back earlier to the day.

They had been trekking back to the stargate after a failed attempt to find the nearest village on yet another dreary planet. Instead, they had found a ravine, where Rodney had promptly tripped over his own feet (“There was a stone there!”) and fallen down into the dark depths of the ravine. Unfortunately for John, Rodney had grabbed his arm in an attempt to catch his fall, pulling John down with him.

It had resulted in mud covering them both to a point that probably broke a world record back on Earth. John had been scratching at his head as they walked, ignoring the squelching in his shoes, when he noticed that Rodney kept glancing at him. He took a moment to appreciate the sight of Rodney McKay coated in brown and green muck before he bothered to say anything.

“What?”

“What, huh?” Rodney replied quickly and John could almost swear he saw the glimpse of a blush underneath all that mud. 

“You're staring,” John drawled out.

“No, I'm not,” Rodney snapped, frowning. There was barely a second of silence before Rodney continued, “Your hair is even more ridiculous than usual. It's breaking the laws of nature, you know.”

“My hair is not breaking any laws,” John protested.

And then, suddenly, John was pulled from the memory as another one attacked his brain. Rodney wasn't the first person to claim his hair broke laws. In fact, the first memory he had was of a small, slightly chubby boy in a Canadian daycare stating that very thing. He remembered protecting the boy from bullies. He had even gotten into one of his very first fights when he saw them throw a glob of mud at the boy's face. His round face, with a pointed chin and slanted mouth.

John sat up, the stars suddenly forgotten. There was no way the boy from that daycare was Rodney. That sort of coincidence just didn't happen. 

He was about to jump to his feet and go find Rodney, suddenly certain he had to get to the bottom of this, when the door slid open and Rodney trudged out onto the balcony. Rodney didn't seem to notice that John was there as he slowly made his way to the edge and rested his elbows on the railing. John stilled, remaining perfectly silent with every bit of training he could bring forward, as he watched Rodney stand there and stare at the stars.

Rodney sighed loudly and reached up to rub at his ear. The scientist pulled his hand away, spotted a tiny smudge of dirt on his finger, and made a sound of disbelief. “Really? I take two showers and I still have mud in my ear? With all that supposed knowledge, the Ancients couldn't have come up with a better cleaning system?”

John smiled to himself and managed not to say anything as Rodney continued to mumble to himself. He watched Rodney for a moment longer, shifting slightly so he could see his profile. He could see the small boy in Rodney's face now that he was looking for it. He could hear it in the cadence of his voice and the careful selection of words used, even when he was speaking so rapidly it appeared he was talking without actual thought. He could even see it in the way Rodney occasionally looked at him, like he knew.

And that's when John realized Rodney knew who he was, that he remembered as well. Knowing Rodney, he had remembered from the moment they met, a flash of clarity in that too smart brain. 

“Did you ever figure it out?” John asked, smirking when Rodney jumped in shock. The scientist spun around and stared at him, eyes wide.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Rodney demanded. “What if I had fallen over?”

“There's a handrail, Rodney,” he said, slowly grinning. 

“That's not the point,” Rodney huffed, crossing his arms. “And what are you talking about?”

“My hair,” John explained, standing. He sauntered over and leaned against the railing, tilting his head at Rodney. “Did you ever figure out the exact calculations for the angles of my hair? Or I thought that's what you were doing with all those numbers.”

Rodney frowned at him, not saying a word.

“Don't look at me like that, Rodney,” John said, scooting closer. “I know you remember.”

Rodney looked away and drew in a deep breath that sounded shaky to John. Just like when they were kids, John couldn't deny a sudden need to comfort him. To rub circles into his back like he had done so long ago. Adults didn't do things like that, especially men, but Rodney was a special case the moment they met. John was willing to break all sorts of laws for him.

“I threw my equations out,” Rodney finally said softly. “When you left, I ripped them up and tossed them away. I couldn't stand the reminder of you.”

“My mother kept demanding to know what had happened to me in Canada,” John offered, “because I stopped talking for a couple of weeks and wouldn't make any more friends. I even lost a few that I already had. I never got to go on a trip with him again after that.”

“I'm sure you got over me,” Rodney snorted.

“Yeah, kind of,” John admitted. He took in Rodney's visible wince. “But I do remember you now. I remember how protective you made me act and how I got this silly little thrill in my stomach, kind of like I was flying, when you smiled at me.”

“Sheppard--”

“You called me John before.”

Rodney glared. “We were five. I don't think we have the freedom to defy social rules and norms now that we are older. Not working for the United States Air Force, at any rate.”

“Are you kidding me?” John asked, laughing. “I never follow the rules when it comes to you, even now! I let you get away with crap that I wouldn't let any of the other people under my command get away with.”

“I'm not under your command, so I hardly think--”

“You don't apply,” John interrupt. Shit, why was he saying all of this? It was Rodney, plain and simple, and deep down he knew that. Their relationship was never normal, even before he remembered their daycare experience. He could have Rodney as an equal, as someone that rivaled every thought that entered his head. It was kind of thrilling. “Call me John.”

“Fine,” Rodney snapped. There was a moment of silence, in which John couldn't help but smile at the other man. Rodney made a point to ignore him, staring up at the sky, before he snorted. “You know, your dad was right. I did turn out to be a fairy.”

John stared, watching in both shock and amusement as Rodney's face suddenly turned bright red and a look of pure horror crossed over it.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Rodney hissed to himself. “Can we pretend I didn't say that?”

“Hey, you're not military,” John said with a shrug. “I don't care.”

“You don't?” Rodney said, a small spot of hope appearing in his eyes.

“Well...” he said slowly, looking away.

“Of course,” Rodney said, immediately taking his hesitation as rejection. Rodney turned and began walking toward the door, back stiff. John reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling until Rodney turned around to glare at him. “I'd like to avoid any more humiliation, if you don't mind.”

“Like I said, Rodney, you make me break all the rules,” John told him, tugging on his arm. “Come on, watch the stars with me?”

“You, wait, huh?” Rodney stammered out, before his mouth snapped shut and he slowly made his way back over. He stood uncertainly next to John for a moment. “What is this?”

John purposely moved closer until their arms were barely touching. He kept his gaze on the stars and shrugged. “I don't know. Does it have to be something?”

“Yes, it does! I don't want to ruin our working relationship if I'm thinking one thing and you're thinking another. That only ends in yelling and doors slamming and for two guys in my country, divorce.”

He rolled his eyes. “Rodney, stop thinking so hard about it. Maybe I just want to spend time with you. Let's just hang out, enjoy the Mighty Ducks constellation, and see where it takes us.”

“Well, I suppose that sounds reasonable,” Rodney began, before he frowned. “The Mighty Ducks?”

“It looks like a duck,” John offered, pointing at the constellation that had captivated his attention earlier. He wasn't surprised when Rodney launched into an explanation of what the constellation was actually called and how John was clearly trying to pretend to be stupid, but Rodney was seeing right through his guise. John grinned.

“What?” Rodney demanded, cutting his sentence in half as he spotted John's gaze.

“Nothing,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “Come on, let's get more comfortable and you can tell me more about the Mighty Ducks star system.”

Rodney huffed, but allowed John to pull him down to the ground. He sat and leaned a few inches until his shoulder brushed John's. “So, uh, the stars look nice.”

“Yeah, they do,” John agreed. He grinned once more, this time to himself, and relaxed back against the railing's wall as Rodney began to talk.


End file.
